Method and apparatus for gathering and using geocoded information from mobile devices

ABSTRACT

Methods and apparatus for using geocoding information from a user&#39;s mobile device to determine program and advertising media content to deliver to the user.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The technical field relates to acquiring and using geocoding informationfrom a user's mobile device to determine program and advertising contentto present to the user, and to acquiring and using geocoding informationincluded in program and advertising content to enhance contentpresentation to the user.

2. Description of the Related Art

Some mobile devices obtain latitude and longitude coordinates at varioustimes. These devices, such as Smartphones or tablets, are typicallycarried with a user during the day and therefore have the same latitudeand longitude as the user's location. These devices may use GPS,wireless network identification, cell phone triangulation and/or otherlocation methods to determine latitude and longitude.

Mobile devices also send information to other devices, including thoseconnected on the same network or on different networks. These devicesmay communicate via a cell phone network carrier, data network carrier,wireless network, Bluetooth connections, or other communication methods.

Receiving devices, such as set top boxes, receive content from a contentdistributor. The received content consists of program and advertisingcontent, as well as content information which may include title,description, length, and other information. Examples of program contentinclude but are not limited to movies, documentaries, series, and audioprograms. Examples of advertising content include but are not limited toinfomercials, product advertisements, and coupons for particular storessuch as department stores, automotive stores, and restaurants.

Broadcasters can currently target advertising at certain householdsbased on demographic information such as age, number of people in ahousehold, income, credit score, etc. In one example Invidi Technologiesuses data from sources such as Experian® to target advertisements to settop boxes based on information found in a user's credit report.Determining relevant program and advertising content based on thegeocoded location history of set top box users is not currently used.

Some content-generation devices, such as cameras in GPS-enabledSmartphones and GPS-enabled video recorders such as the Sony HandycamHDR-XR520V, are able to capture geocoding information in the form oflatitude and longitude and associate it with pictures or video clipsduring filming. In addition, editing systems exist that allow geocodinginformation to be edited or inserted into content after generation.

Broadcast content providers such as HBO, Showtime, NBC, and others donot currently include geocoding information in their broadcast content.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Households and businesses typically receive television and audio contentthrough satellite or cable systems. Content providers, including HBO,Showtime, NBC and others distribute content through satellite companiesor cable systems operators to customers have a receiving device,commonly known as a set top box. Content consists of program content andadvertising content. Set top box users select program content to view orto record for later viewing and receive advertising content in variousforms, for example when a movie is viewed. The user selects programcontent to view based on the user's personal preferences.

One way a set top box can enhance and personalize content is to gather auser's location history with the user's personal mobile device, such asa Smartphone or tablet, which can geocode the user's location in theform of latitude, longitude, and time. This location history can then bemapped back to businesses, home addresses, vacation spots, schools,traffic routes, scenes in a movie, sporting venues, and so on todetermine the locations the user has been in proximity to. The set topbox can analyze the user's location history, user preferences, andcontent information to determine and present content relevant to theuser. Note, in this specification a location a user “has been” at mayalso include where the user currently is.

If relevant content is found, the user can be notified in several ways.The set top box might suggest upcoming programs to watch or record, forexample “I noticed you were at Sports Authority field, would you like meto set up a recording for the Bronco game this weekend?” Or, makesuggestions like “You recently visited Hawaii, and I noticed there is aspecial documentary about the island of Kauai on this weekend.” Thesesuggestions, or the content itself, can be presented on a televisionconnected to the set top box or can be delivered to the user's mobiledevice.

In addition to program suggestions, the set top box can notify the userof advertising content based on the user's location. This advertisingcontent may involve gathering coupon information in advertisements. Forexample, if the user regularly passes by an Applebee's restaurant aroundlunch time, an advertisement or coupon for Applebee's can be presentedto the user. If the set top box has a real-time connection to the user'smobile device and therefore knows where the user currently is, a couponcan be sent directly to the user's mobile device if the user is near anApplebee's restaurant. The coupon can also be adjusted based on thereal-time status of the restaurant, for example a more favorable couponoffered if the restaurant is not busy. This may be a part of a vendorsubscription service for enhanced advertising operated by set top boxproviders.

Locations can be tracked for multiple users associated with a set topbox. The set top box can use relationships between the users and theproximity between the users known in real-time to present differentcontent based on the users' situations such as how close the users areto each other. For example, if the set top box determines that twoparents were next to each other and were near a Cheesecake Factoryrestaurant, a two-for-one coupon may be pushed in real-time to theparent's mobile device for the restaurant's lounge. If the two parentsand two children are in a car driving by a Cheesecake Factory, the settop box may instead push a coupon for a free entrée and dessert at therestaurant's main dining room to the parents' mobile devices.

Users may also be alerted to special news program content depending onlocation history. For example, if the set top box determines a user'snormal commute route, any content describing accidents or constructionoccurring along that commute route can be sent to the user. Or, if theset top box knows a user is a child, any “breaking news” or alertsoccurring around the child's location, or near the child's school, canbe sent to the parent's mobile device. Amber alerts may also be sent outthis way.

A user may also receive information based on the geocoding locations ofother users. For example, if a husband (or wife) spends two hours at aNordstrom's store, the wife (or husband) may receive a coupon to thatstore with an explanation that the spouse had recently gone into thestore and may like something from there. In this example, the wife (orhusband) may have also indicated her (or his) interest in the store orin a coupon for the store via the set top box.

A user can also query the set top box to find relevant content orinformation. For example, to find out whether there are coupons orspecials for stores near the user or if there are any documentaryprograms on locations where the user has travelled in the last sixmonths.

In these ways, one or more users associated with a set top box canreceive enhanced viewing of program and advertising content based ontheir present location or location history.

In addition, broadcast content such as individual programs oradvertisements, or scenes within a program or advertisement, may alsocontain geocoding information that describes location informationassociated with that content segment. For example, the filming locationof a scene, the location represented in the scene, the location of alandmark viewable in the scene, the filming location of theadvertisement, or the locations where a coupon may be redeemed can begeocoded and included in the content.

By extracting this information, the set top box enables a user to searchprogram or advertising content for location information. For example, auser can query “Where are all of the filming locations for Top Gun?” or“Where was the scene that I am watching now filmed?”

By combining user geocoding information and content geocodinginformation, the user can make more powerful queries. For example, “Whatmovies have been filmed near my current location?”, or “What movies havebeen filmed at the locations I have been at over the last six months?”

Using geocoding information tracked from a user's mobile device andgeocoding information embedded in content, the set top box can enhancethe viewing experience and value of the content to the user by gatheringand translating the data in relevant and useful ways.

In addition, businesses such as content providers, local businesses,satellite companies and cable operators, can insert coupons intocontent, including advertising content, displayed via a set top box.These coupons may appear to the user viewing the content in a number offorms, such as a text “hotlink” overlaying a video image asking the userto click user the remote control to select the coupon, or as a QR imagethe user reads off of the screen using a Smartphone. This coupon,redeemable for goods or services, may be available to a user on viewingthe content during the original broadcast date, or some amount of timepast the viewing date (for example, if the content was recorded vs.being watched live). The coupon would then be made available to the usersuch as electronically on a Smartphone to be redeemed within the termsand conditions of the coupon.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1: Geocoding Broadcast Content

FIG. 2: Overview of the System

FIG. 3: Overview of the Receiver/Set Top Box Operation

FIG. 4: Process of a Mobile Device sending Geocoding Information to theSet Top Box

FIGS. 5A and 5B: Associating Geocoding with a Video Stream

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Described herein are systems, methods, and apparatus for gatheringgeocoding information for one or more users associated with a set topbox, sending that information to a set top box to determine contentrelevant to the user, and then presenting that content. User geocodinginformation, which may take the form of latitude, longitude and time, isregularly gathered from a mobile device which is personal to the userand therefore generally tracks the location of the user throughout theday. Also described are systems, methods, and apparatus for gatheringgeocoding information associated with broadcast content, storing thatinformation at a set top box, and using that information in addition toother content information to enhance the user's viewing experience.

FIG. 1 is an overview diagram of a system embodiment in which contentflows from a content generator 11 through the broadcast system to theSet Top Box 32. Content 28 consists of program and advertising contentand content information, for example information contained in programguides. Geocoding information 12, for example the location where a scenewas filmed, can be added to content during content generation time oradded later through editing prior to broadcast. In one embodimentcontent flows to an uplink center 13 to a satellite 14 and to receiverdish 16. The content is then sent to a set top box 32, which extractscontent information and combines it with other information the set topbox has collected to enhance the user's experience with the content.

FIG. 2 is an overview block diagram of a system embodiment in which usergeocoding information and content information including contentgeocoding information is used to automatically determine and presentcontent relevant to a user.

One or more users 20 a-20 d associated with a set top box each carry amobile device 21 a-21 d that can determine geocoding information for themobile device's location. An example is a GPS-enabled Smartphone ortablet that is personal to the user and travels with the user throughoutthe day. As a result, the mobile device can identify the locations theuser has been at.

The mobile devices and the set top box may be connected by aCommunication System 24 in a number of ways. In one embodiment, if theset top box and mobile device are on the same network, an API wouldexist to allow the set top box to receive user geocoding informationfrom the mobile devices 21 a-21 d. In another embodiment, user geocodinginformation is collected by the wireless provider network servicing themobile device, for example, ATT, Sprint, or Verizon, and sent back tothe set top box via the Internet for processing in real-time.

In one embodiment, if a user's mobile device has a real-time connectionto the set top box, user geocoding information would be sent 26 directlyto the set top box 32 and stored in the User Geocoding InformationDatabase 44. Otherwise, the mobile device stores the user geocodinginformation locally until the device is connected to the set top box 32,at which time the stored geocoding information is sent 26 and stored inthe User Geocoding Information Database 44. This database can reside onthe set top box 32 or reside on one or more servers at a remotelocation.

Each user has the ability to opt-in or opt-out of having the user'slocations tracked and sent to the set top box 32.

Content 28 is received by the set top box 32 from a receiver dish 16. Inother embodiments, a cable system head end may take the place ofreceiver dish 16. Content includes program content such as movies,documentaries, and music, and advertising content such as infomercials,special offers, or coupons. Content information describes andcategorizes content, which may include but is not limited to programtype, program description, channel, start time, length, vendor name, andgeocoding information that describes, for example, the filming locationof a movie scene.

The set top box 32 extracts and stores content information in theContent Information Database 42. This database may also work inconjunction with or integrate with other databases, including commercialdatabases such as the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) 43, to extendsearches for relevant content.

A Geocoded Assets Database 46 contains location names and correspondinggeocoding information. The set top box uses this database to translateback and forth between geocoding information in latitude/longitude form,and a specific address, location name, or other location identifiers.

Once the set top box 32 has determined relevant content to present to auser it can deliver content locally 36 to any suitable device operableto present the content in video or audio form to the user. Examples of apresentation device include but are not limited to a television 40, adigital video recorder 38, a game system, or the like. The set top boxcan also present content remotely 34 through Communication System 24 todevices including a user's mobile device, such as a Smartphone or tabletwith the ability to view video and play audio.

Content information may also be presented and includes text-baseddescriptions of content, audio description of content (e.g. voiceovers),QR Codes identifying filming locations of movie scenes, maps showinggeocoding information contained in content segments, and the like.

A user can also send a User Query 35 about program or advertisingcontent. This query could go directly to the set top box 32, or to theContent Information Database 42, the Internet Movie Database 43, or theGeocoded Assets Database 46. For example, “Are there any stores withcoupons or specials near me?”, “What scenes in Top Gun have been filmedwithin 100 miles of my location?”, or “What movies that I have watchedin the last 6 months were filmed in Austin Tex.?”. These User Queriesmay be sent from a user's mobile device 21 a over Communication System24 to the set top box 32, or sent directly to the set top box via aremote control 47 or other device connected directly to the set top box.

FIG. 3 is detailed embodiment of a set top box 32. The set top box has aprocessor, memory, storage, and software to accept inputs and to presentcontent relevant to a user.

User geocoding information 26 is received by the Gather and Process UserGeocoding Information 54 process from the one or more users' mobiledevices 21 a-21 d associated with the set top box 32. This informationincludes at least latitude, longitude, and time that identifies wherethe user has been. If the user's mobile device is connected inreal-time, the set top box will know the user's current location.Geocoding information is stored in a User Geocoding Information Database44 located in the set top box 32 or may be located in one or more remoteservers. In one embodiment, if the user's mobile device 21 a-21 d isconnected in real-time to the set-top-box 32, the user's geocodinginformation is also sent to the Determine Relevant Content to Userprocess 56 to determine what program or advertising should beimmediately pushed out 34 to the user based on the user's location.

Broadcast content 28 is received that includes program and advertisingcontent, and content information that describes the content, such asprogram guides or embedded geocoding information for content segments.The set top box analyzes and extracts content information from thebroadcast content using the Extract Content Information process 59 andstores the information in the Content Information Database 42. The settop box will use this content information to determine whether or notcontent may be relevant to a user.

Content information includes geocoding information, program information,and advertising information. Examples of geocoding information mayinclude the latitude and longitude of the filming location of a scene ina movie, the location of a landmark appearing in a scene, such as arestaurant or monument, or the location where a broadcast sporting eventis being held. A content segment may contain one or more geocoding tags.For example, a movie scene may have a geocoding tag identifying wherethe scene was filmed and another identifying the location the scenerepresents in the story. Or a food program may have geocoding tags forwhere the ingredients came from and a geocoding tag for where theprogram was filmed, for example in Maui. Advertising content may havemultiple geocoding tags associated with the locations where anadvertised special or coupon will be accepted.

Examples of program information may include the type of program (e.g.sports, drama, game show, symphony, documentary), subject of program(e.g. Broncos, Shakespeare, Jeopardy, Denver Symphony, Golden GateBridge), or location name (e.g. Mile High Stadium, Ashland, Burbank,Denver, San Francisco). Examples of advertising information include typeof product (e.g. sports clothing, food, vacation packages, and tickets)or location of stores where the product may be purchased.

The User Profile Information Database 51 stores information about one ormore users associated with a set top box. This information may includethe user's name, mobile device identifier, general user information suchas age and sex, user content interests, default searches for relevantcontent, and relationships to other users associated with the same settop box (e.g. spouse, child, manager, employee, etc.). This informationis used to determine what and how relevant content will be sent to auser and under what conditions. This way the user can have the set topbox search for and present relevant content without requiring furtherinput from the user.

This database may also store user content presentation preferences. Forexample, if the set top box should automatically queue relevant programor advertising content for later viewing, or only notify the user thatthe content is available; if movies containing scenes filmed withintwenty miles of a user's location over the last six months should beautomatically recorded; if coupons should be pushed immediately to auser's mobile device or queued up for later use; or if to presentdescriptions of locations on a television either as text, QR Codes, oraudio voiceovers. The user can specify a preferred presentation device,such as a television connected to the set top box, the user's mobiledevice, or another device on the Internet.

The User Profile Information Database 51 may also store user proximitypreferences. For example whether to push a coupon to the user's mobiledevice only if the store location is currently close to the user, or topush the coupon if the store is close to the user's regular commutepath. Other attributes of proximity are discussed below.

Information in the User Profile Information Database 51 may be updatedfrom mobile devices over the network 25, 24 or from a remote control 47attached to the set top box. User profile information may also beupdated from information from other sources, such as the types ofon-line or video-on-demand purchases a user has made.

Specific user queries 35 can be received by the Receive User Queriesprocess 30. User queries can come from a remote mobile device 21 a-21 d,or from devices attached to the set top box, for example a remotecontrol 47. The form of the queries can be text-based or spokenrequests, or can be locations that are marked by the user while viewingcontent, for example by pressing a “locate” button on a remote control.These queries are received, parsed, and sent to the Determine RelevantContent to User module 56.

User queries about program content may include: “What scenes have beenfilmed or referenced near my current location?” “What movies have beenfilmed near any location I have been in the last six months?” “Whatmovies have been filmed within 500 miles of Johannesburg?” “What is thelocation of the movie scene I am viewing now?” “Where is the nearestlandmark depicted in this scene located?” “What locations have beenmarked in the content?” “Show me a map of all locations where Top Gunwas filmed.” “Where is the location of the restaurant in Top Gun?” “Whatis the location of the ‘Sleepless in Seattle’ house?” “Where is thelocation of the restaurant in the scene that I am viewing now?” “Onwhich locations in Universal Studios was “Back to the Future” filmed?”or “Where is the restaurant located that served apple pie in the seriesTwin Peaks?”

User queries about advertising content may include “What coupons areavailable for vendors where I am now?” “Are specials available forstores in my commute area?” or “Do restaurants near where my childrenare now have any coupons?”

The query results may appear in a number of forms, such as streamingcontent, as a text message, as an email, as a voiceover, as a QR code ona mobile device, as locations appearing on a map, or as some other formor a combination of forms.

The Present Content process 37 determines how to present relevantcontent and content information from the set top box 32 to users. Whereand how content is presented depends on the User Profile Information 51,the User Query 30 request (if any), presentation devices available tothe user, and whether the presentation device has a real-time connectionto the set top box 32.

Content may be sent to the user on a local presentation device directlyconnected to the set top box 32 such as on a television 40 or a videorecorder 38, or on remote devices over the Internet, such as the user'smobile device 21 a-21 d. Content information can also be displayed whilewatching the content, for example a text description or a QR code sentin response to a “location query” while watching a movie.

The Present Content process 37 may notify a user of relevant content forviewing by email or text-message notifications sent to a user's mobiledevice 20 a, or by notifications that appear when viewing a presentationdevice 40. For example: “There is a documentary on the construction ofmile high stadium on at 3 pm tomorrow.” A user can also be asked if thecontent should be recorded for later viewing on a device such as a videorecorder 38, or all relevant content should be put into a queue forusers to view when they are ready.

The Determine Content and Information Relevant to the User process 56examines the contents of the User Profile Information Database 51 todetermine the user preferences for content to automatically present (or“push”) to a user, and examines any user queries from the Receive UserQueries process 30 to determine the user preferences for contentpresentation. The process then accesses the Content Information Database42, User Geocoding Information Database 44, and Geocoded Assets Database46 to determine what and how relevant content and information should bepresented to the user.

In one embodiment, the location of the one or more users primarilydetermines the relevant content and information to be presented.Location may be determined by retrieving user geocoding information forone or more users from the User Geocoding Information Database 44 andcomparing the information to locations found in a Geocoded AssetsDatabase 46 to determine the locations the user has been in proximityto. Examples of locations include businesses, home addresses, vacationspots, schools, landmarks, traffic routes, etc. The Content InformationDatabase 42 is then searched for content related to these userlocations, either through descriptions in content information or throughgeocoding information associated with specific content segments, todetermine relevant program and advertising for the user.

Parameters describing proximity for a user can be found in the UserProfile Information Database 51, in a specific User Query 30, or both.Proximity of a user to a location includes but is not limited closenessin distance to a location (nearness), frequency of nearness to alocation, time spent near a location, or a route typically driven, forexample a commute path. Proximity may also include deviation from normaltravel which includes but is not limited to travel patterns on weekdaysvs. weekends, travelling outside of a user's normal commute path, ortaking a vacation outside of the user's normal travel area. For examplethe set top box may make program suggestions based on a location, forexample “I noticed you were at Sports Authority field, would you like meto set up a recording for the Bronco game this weekend? ” Or, “Yourecently visited Hawaii, and I noticed there is a special documentaryabout the island of Kauai on this weekend. Shall I record it for you?”

Proximity may be defined to include locations of someone other than theuser, for example a husband, a wife, or children, or to include thelocations of multiple users and their nearness to each other.

For example, family members father 20 a, mother 20 b, 16 year olddaughter 20 c, and 12 year old son 20 d, each carrying mobile devices 21a-21 d are sitting in the same room containing a presentation device 40connected to a set top box 32. If the set top box has a real-timeconnection to the mobile devices, the set top box will know that afamily is in the room and suggest family program content such as G-ratedmovies and advertisements such as family restaurants or familyvacations. This may be different than the program suggested if only thetwo adults 20 a and 20 b were in the room when, for example, a crimedrama may be suggested.

Another example involves travel. If the family of four is in a car anddrove past a restaurant, and the set top box was in real-timecommunication with each family member's mobile device, advertisinginformation or a coupon for a family dinner and dessert may beimmediately delivered to the parents' mobile devices. If only theparents 20 a and 20 b are in the car and drove by a restaurant in theevening, an advertisement for the restaurant's lounge may be sent tothem. As a further example, if a father 20 a and son 20 d are travellingin a car after spending an hour attending a soccer game at a localstadium and drive by a sporting goods store, an advertisement may besent to the father's mobile device 21 a offering a discount on youthsoccer equipment, and a message sent to both the father and son about adocumentary on soccer techniques showing that evening and ask them if itshould be recorded for later viewing.

In another example, if a wife views an advertisement for a product shelikes she marks it to save the information using the set top box. Thesaved information may contain more than one location that offers theproduct. When the husband is in proximity of one of those locations hereceives a notification to pick up the product.

In another example, a user profile may cause the set top box 32 tonotify the user when new program content arrives that had been filmed ata location that the user had been in proximity to over the last sixmonths, or if new advertising content arrives for locations the user hadbeen near during the last two weeks. In addition, a user can designatespecific locations or users for special consideration. For example, awife could mark her favorite store in her profile, and a coupon to thestore would be pushed to her husband whenever he drives by the storewithin a month of her birthday. In addition, users could keep lists,like a registry, to push coupons to the user or other users associatedwith the set top box when a user is in proximity to a store that sellsthe item.

In another embodiment, a subscription service may be run by the providerof the set top box, for example by EchoStar®, that drives vendoradvertising content to set top box users based on users' locations. Inone embodiment, vendor subscription information would be held in theVendor Subscription Information Database 58 and would be managed by aVendor Subscription Management process 27. Vendors would sign up foradvertisements or coupons to be “pushed” to users based on based thecharacteristics of the users, such as a user's proximity to a vendor.This information would be used by the Determine Content and InformationRelevant to User 56 process to determine what content to push to theuser. For example, a local restaurant may push a “walk in now & get 10%off” coupon to a user depending on who is with the user (e.g. a familydriving by the restaurant), and how busy the restaurant currently is. Arestaurant with open seats may push a coupon out to users in thevicinity of the restaurant. A store with excess inventory levels maypush a coupon out to users in the vicinity of the store. The proximityof the user to the vendor may vary from a user simply passing by to auser who is frequently in the area. This allows vendor-generated adsthat are tailored to one or more users given the users' changingsituations during the day.

In another example, an upscale restaurant can pay a fee to placegeocoded tags in program content that references the restaurant, forexample if it is featured in a movie scene. If the user watches thegeocoded movie, a notification can be sent to the user's mobile deviceif the user drives by the restaurant, asking the user if the movieshould be re-recorded for later viewing, or asking if a restaurantcoupon should be pushed to the user.

In another embodiment, a coupon may be presented to a user by a businesssuch as a content provider, local business, satellite company or cableoperator when viewing content, including advertising content, displayedvia a set top box. These coupons may appear to the user viewing thecontent in a number of forms, including but not limited to a text“hotlink” overlaying a video image asking the user to accept the couponusing the set top box remote control, or a QR image displayed on thescreen and read by a Smartphone.

This coupon, redeemable for goods or services, may be available to auser based on the profile of the user as described above, or on when thecontent available from the set top box was viewed. For example, a couponmay only be presented if the content was viewed during the original airdate, or some amount of time past the air date to allow for time-shiftedviewing. For example, a network plans to show the movie “Top Gun” andsells time to a local Harley Davidson dealership to display a discountcoupon for that dealership whenever a motorcycle is shown in the movie.The network, to encourage real-time viewing of the content and theadvertisements associated with the content, may require that the couponbe available only when watching the movie during the original air time.In another example, the coupon may be made available if the movie wasviewed within six hours of recording to accommodate time-shiftedviewing.

The coupon can be made available to a user in a number of ways such asbut not limited to being electronically downloaded onto a Smartphone orbeing mailed to the user either electronically or via the US mail. Thecoupon would then be redeemed according to the terms and conditions ofthe coupon which may include timeframes for redemption. In someembodiments, to receive the coupon a user may have to make a payment.

Also, the coupon may be modifiable at the time the user accepts thecoupon, for example the terms and conditions of the coupon may changebased on the business conditions or inventory levels of the couponofferor. For example, the coupon for a local grocery store may have aredemption life of hours if it wants to excess perishable food items.

Although these above examples relate to families, one with skill in theart will recognize that analogous examples could apply to other types ofusers associated with a set to box, for example employees at a business.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart describing a process embodiment for sendinggeocoding information from a mobile device to a set top box. If the user“opts in” 60, the user's mobile device then checks if there is areal-time connection 62 to the set top box 32. If not, then the mobiledevice will store geocoding information on the mobile device 70 forlater transmission to the set top box 32. If there is a real-timeconnection, the mobile device will upload all stored geocodinginformation 64 to the set top box 32 and will continue to send geocodingupdates 66 while the mobile device is connected in real-time to the settop box 32. If the user's mobile device is not “opted in,” then theapplication waits 68 until the user “opts in” to gather and sendgeocoding information.

FIG. 5A shows an embodiment of associating geocoding information withcontent where the information is encoded within the video PID. FIG. 5Bshows geocoding information sent in a separate PID datastream, with databookmarked back into the video PID. A segment of content, for example ascene in a movie, may have multiple geocoded information associated withthat segment.

In addition to the embodiments described, there may be multiple set topboxes in a location with multiple users, which can be connected suchthat they operate as described above.

The various embodiments described above can be combined to providefurther embodiments. All of the U.S. patents, U.S. patent applicationpublications, U.S. patent applications, foreign patents, foreign patentapplications and non-patent publications referred to in thisspecification and/or listed in the Application Data Sheet areincorporated herein by reference, in their entirety. Aspects of theembodiments can be modified, if necessary to employ concepts of thevarious patents, applications and publications to provide yet furtherembodiments.

These and other changes can be made to the embodiments in light of theabove-detailed description. In general, in the following claims, theterms used should not be construed to limit the claims to the specificembodiments disclosed in the specification and the claims, but should beconstrued to include all possible embodiments along with the full scopeof equivalents to which such claims can be given.

1. A method, comprising: receiving at a receiving device user geocodinginformation including at least latitude and longitude from a mobiledevice of at least one user; storing the user geocoding information on auser geocoding information database associated with the at least oneuser; comparing the user geocoding information with a geocoded assetsdatabase containing locations and names of geocoded assets to identifymatched locations the at least one user has been in proximity to;outputting the matched locations; receiving at the receiving devicecontent information containing at least one of program content andadvertising content, storing the content information on a contentinformation database; comparing the matched locations with the contentinformation database to determine content relevant to the at least oneuser; and presenting on a presentation device content relevant to the atleast one user.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the geocodinginformation database, content information database, or geocoded assetsdatabase resides either on the receiving device or on one or more remoteservers.
 3. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving at a receivingdevice user geocoding information further comprises: receiving usergeocoding information from one of a mobile device running a softwareapplication collecting user geocoding information, a wireless networkprovider in communication with the mobile device, and a mobile deviceconnected via the Internet.
 4. The method of claim 1 wherein presentingon a presentation device content relevant to the at least one userfurther comprises one of presenting the content directly to the at leastone user, notifying the at least one user that content is available forpresentation, and querying the at least one user whether the content isto be recorded for future presentation.
 5. The method of claim 1 whereinpresenting on a presentation device content relevant to the at least oneuser further comprises presenting content at the time the at least oneuser is in proximity to a matched location.
 6. The method of claim 1wherein if there is more than one user, determine content relevant tothe at least one user further comprises examining the matched locationsfor each user, examining a user profile information database todetermine the relationships between each of the users, and determiningthe proximity of the users to each other based on relationships betweeneach of the users.
 7. The method of claim 1 further comprising queryingthe receiving device by the at least one user to determine whether theat least one user is currently in proximity to any matched locations. 8.An apparatus comprising: a receiving device including: a memory operableto store received user geocoding information from the mobile device ofat least one user; a storage system operable to store the received usergeocoding information associated with the at least one user; a databaseoperable to contain locations of geocoded assets and their associatednames; a geocoding comparing system operable to compare user geocodinginformation with a database containing locations of geocoded assets andto identify matched locations the at least one user is or has been inproximity to; a memory operable to store received content containing atleast one of program content, advertising content, and program guides; acontent information database operable to store content information; acontent comparing system operable to compare matched locations withcontent information; a processing system coupled to the memory,geocoding comparing system, storage system, content informationextraction system, content information database, and content comparingsystem and in response to receiving geocoding information from the atleast one user, operable to present on a presentation device contentitems relevant to the at least one user.
 9. A computer-readable storagemedium storing instructions which, when executed by a processing systemin a receiving device, cause the processing system to: receive at areceiving device user geocoding information including at least latitudeand longitude from a mobile device of at least one user; store thegeocoding information on a user geocoding information database; comparethe geocoding information against a database of geocoded assets toidentify the matched locations the at least one user was in proximityto; receive at the receiving device content information containing atleast on one of program content and advertising content; store thecontent information on a content information database; compare thematched locations with the content information database to determinecontent relevant to the at least one user; and present the content itemsrelevant to the at least one user.
 10. The system of claim 9 wherein theinstructions of the computer-readable storage medium is operable tocause the processing system to receive geocoding information from auser's mobile device and to present content items of interest to theuser.